District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner was unanimously selected by her colleagues to serve as the council’s president pro tem, marking the first time a woman has held the position in San Diego. As part of her responsibilities, Lightner will review the council’s committee structures and duties to ensure they address pertinent current issues.

Lightner will also chair the new Rules and Economic Development Committee, which takes on the combined tasks of the former Rules, Open Government and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, as well as the Economic Development and Strategies Committee, which Lightner chaired in her previous term.

“In my new roles, I hope to work closely with council president Todd Gloria and my colleagues to continue our work to improve our city’s financial picture while responsibly restoring city services and improving our neighborhoods,” Lightner said. “I am also honored to continue to lead the council’s efforts to help craft a long-term vision for San Diego’s economy — one that embraces innovation, creativity and sustainability.”

“Volunteers and donors have made San Diego Hospice the gold-standard in hospice and palliative care med-icine in our region,” said Traci Bruckner, chief development officer at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine. “We sincerely value and respect our donors because without their generous and unwavering support, we couldn’t help the thousands of San Diegans that we do each year.”

Sna Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine was founded by UC-resident Dr. Doris Howell 35 years ago and is one of the largest, community-owned nonprofit hospices in the nation. For more information about San Diego Hospice, visit www.sdhospice.org or call (866) 688-1600.

Warwick’s helps to bring Gore to San Diego

Warwick’s has partnered with the San Diego Law Library to bring former vice president Al Gore to San Diego for a one-night event at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium on Feb. 10 for a Q&A discussion and signing of his latest book, “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change.”

“The joint venture of the San Diego Law Library and Warwick’s bookstore will allow us to celebrate local and national authors whose books have a legal twist,” said John Adkins, director of the San Diego Law Library. “I can’t think of a better way to start off this partnership than with the former vice president of the United States.”

Tickets will range from $35 to $50, including a copy of Gore’s book. For more information, call (858) 454-0347 or visit www.sandiegolawlibrary.org.

Stephens honored with REBA award

At the Dec. 12 meeting of the La Jolla Brokers Association, the group awarded Charles Stephens with its first “Spirit of REBA” award. Meant to recognize outstanding contributions to the Real Estate Brokers Association, which was founded in the 1920s and is believed to be one of the oldest organizations of its kind, the award honored Stephens’ commitment as a member Realtor for more than 10 years. Stephens volunteered his time over the spring and summer to spearhead the refurbishment of the group’s La Jolla headquarters at 908 Kline St., which was designed by local architect Henry Hester in the mid-1960s.

Candlelight Ball rakes in the dough

The 83rd annual Candlelight Ball on Dec. 1 raised more than $2 million to benefit lifesaving care at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, with support from philanthropist and newspaper heiress Betty Knight Scripps.

In recognition of Scripps’ generosity and community support, the iconic plaza in front of Scripps La Jolla will be named in her honor as The Betty Knight Scripps Plaza.

2,000 students to be hired by website

Collegiate dating site www.datemyschool.com is embarking on a holiday hiring spree with plans to employ 2,000 college students as on-campus marketing ambassadors. The dating startup company aims to hire one hard-working student at almost every campus across the nation by Jan. 1 to help boost signups to the online dating platform. Ambassadors have flexible hours and are paid commission on a per-user basis. To apply, visit www.datemyschool.com/jobs.